US to Help Supply COVID-19 Vaccines to Thailand

[D M G]

In summary, all of the above with the usual cynicism, jabs, hope and comedy.

????

[Presnock]

2 minutes ago, Mike k said:

I am an American and I live in Thailand but I still pay income tax to the US so yes if the US can give vaccines to the south Korean army, Thailand, and other countries then they should be able to provide vaccines to Expats no matter what country they live in 

yeah I pay well over 10 grand of USD a year in taxes to the US, plus I need to maintain a quality health insurance so that even if I get sick here it will cover the total cost with no limits, plus in order to insure that my daughter can get into a US college and proper there I have to pay well over 15K USD a year for proper education.  I am not complaining about the costs of anything here, only that my tax dollars are not being used for me in the scheme of the vaccines.  If China can have the local govt assist them in supplying the Chinese here (I think I saw an estimate of 100K while Americans here are no where near that number so why shouldn't the govt assist).  There is also a regular US assistance in other fields on a yearly basis while a civilian govt is in power due to US laws.

 

[Enzian]

7 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Maybe she is just saying the US sees Thailand as a Third world country now.

The new cold war. My favorite peeve is the term Third World, which during the cold war meant those countries not closely aligned with either the USA or the USSR. Since 1989 the term has been obsolete, but people still use it to mean developing countries. But if the USA is now in a cold war with China we could start using Third World again, EXCEPT not for Thailand, which is close to being an informal satellite of China.

[wwest5829]

16 hours ago, connda said:

The US government can supply vaccines as foreign aid to foreign countries and yet they can not (will not) supply vaccines to their own US citizens overseas!
And yet China can supply their citizens overseas with vaccines.
What else do you need to know about our exceptional nation and how we expats (don't) benefit from our country's largess?

So - the US will supply Thailand with vaccines, and then US citizens abroad will be placed at the end of the line to receive their vaccines after Thais get their shots which were given to them by the US Government???
Does that sound about right?
The Thai government has a racist distribution policy that will be directly supported by the US government as US citizens are put at the end of the vaccination lines.
This reads better then a Kurt Vonnegut novel - you can't make this stuff up!
Welcome to Wacky-World ????

 

No, doesn’t sound about right. It sounds more like conspiracy fodder, made up based on not knowing what will happen. Me? I am pushing for Medicare benefits, earned and paid for by civilian employment be extended on the same basis as earned and paid for military benefits. The retired military gets global coverage, Medicare = zip out of US territory.

[Cake Monster]

Why is America even contemplating this notion.

It is not as if Thailand is a poor Country, and needs help with Vaccine procurement due to a lack of funds, or to help the Covax Initiative along.

 

 

[wwest5829]

20 minutes ago, Mike k said:

I am an American and I live in Thailand but I still pay income tax to the US so yes if the US can give vaccines to the south Korean army, Thailand, and other countries then they should be able to provide vaccines to Expats no matter what country they live in 

I hope you will join with me and others to have civilian earned and paid for Medicare benefits extended globally on the same basis as earned and paid for military retirees enjoy globally.

[LazySlipper]

US expats plead for vaccine help in viral Thailand

This was the title of an article not too long ago... seems to me it was being scoffed at...

Yet no sycophantic as the West is... they will 'help' Thailand... Seems to me they should clean their house before trying to clean others' houses.... and even China will be helping their own stranded here...

 

Were the foot on the other shoe I am not sure Thailand would help the US and it seems to me the US... and Canada where I am from should take care of their own rather than be philanthropic  with the taxpayers money. 

 

If I had a rocket launcher... (quote Bruce Cockburn)

 

 

[connda]

US to Help Supply COVID-19 Vaccines to Thailand

To the end of the line US citizens overseas!  Thais first!

[Richard Hall]

16 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Here comes the cavalry

Hold it, it was just a horsewoman so far.

[connda]

13 hours ago, nowhereman said:

I think the US should donate vaccines to Thailand just like China did. Meaning, to vaccinate US citizens ???? 

China:
"We will donate vaccines to Thailand, but our citizen will receive vaccines first through our embassies and Thais can have what is left.

United States:
"We will donate vaccines to Thailand and Thais will receive our vaccines first and US citizens will be put at the end of the line and can have what is left if any."

[nowhereman]

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

One interpretation, perhaps the US is using this to cozy up to Thailand and limit Thailand's closeness to China? 

A bit late for that I'm afraid.

[DefaultName]

IF they send vaccines, I'll look forward to the fuss when the government won't give any to westerners.

[Boomer6969]

Sounds like "Chinamen out, Farang in". Until Covid is over....

[Emdog]

Saw interview with CDC head this morning. Besides donating vaccine, she said US would help other countries with logistics and distribution, etc. So argument "it would be too difficult to get to expats" is pure BS. 

Also got another email from Oregon about site near Portland address to get J&J shot. Oregon also dumped 4000 expired vax shots in trash. US could vaccinate all us expats just with stuff now throwing away in the 50 states.

[MrJ2U]

17 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Would be fun if the US demands foreign nationals get priority. 

Anybody confused or sad by this should be aware that was China's demand.  500,000 Sinovac BUT 150,000 are for Chinese nationals only.  Anutin agreed as always taking away vital nurses to vaccinate Chinese Nationals.  Thailand did get 350000 almost useless Sinovac vaccines though with there 54% rate.

[VBF]

9 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Maybe she is just saying the US sees Thailand as a Third world country now.

Well perhaps if Thailand didn't continue to act like one.......

[chilly07]

17 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Would be fun if the US demands foreign nationals get priority. 

Ditto the UK as they have surplus and they are currently  trying to  vaccinate the 20-30yr age group. Asked the British  Consul to  load up the QE2 with  as many jabs as they can and even leave the odd borrowed  US fighter behind to make space! 

[Tonypandy]

6 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

One interpretation, perhaps the US is using this to cozy up to Thailand and limit Thailand's closeness to China? 

To late

[sawadee1947]

17 hours ago, connda said:

The US government can supply vaccines as foreign aid to foreign countries and yet they can not (will not) supply vaccines to their own US citizens overseas!
And yet China can supply their citizens overseas with vaccines.
What else do you need to know about our exceptional nation and how we expats (don't) benefit from our country's largess?

So - the US will supply Thailand with vaccines, and then US citizens abroad will be placed at the end of the line to receive their vaccines after Thais get their shots which were given to them by the US Government???
Does that sound about right?
The Thai government has a racist distribution policy that will be directly supported by the US government as US citizens are put at the end of the vaccination lines.
This reads better then a Kurt Vonnegut novel - you can't make this stuff up!
Welcome to Wacky-World ????

 

So what is your point? 

US should not help with vaccines in order not to support racism and discrimination? ????

[brianthainess]

18 hours ago, connda said:

What else do you need to know about our exceptional nation and how we expats (don't) benefit from our country's largess?

It depends on what context you are using the word Exceptional, I thought the yanks just had to trust in some mythical bloke called god. By the way Russia is larger. Sputnik anyone? 

[Jeffr2]

55 minutes ago, Emdog said:

Saw interview with CDC head this morning. Besides donating vaccine, she said US would help other countries with logistics and distribution, etc. So argument "it would be too difficult to get to expats" is pure BS. 

Also got another email from Oregon about site near Portland address to get J&J shot. Oregon also dumped 4000 expired vax shots in trash. US could vaccinate all us expats just with stuff now throwing away in the 50 states.

Thailand isn't even in the top 20 countries with regards to expats.  We're quite a ways down the list.

 

Compared to how many jabs the US has administered, they've wasted relatively few.  Looks like CVS and Walgreen are the big problems.  Almost 300 million doses have been administered. 

 

https://news.yahoo.com/us-thrown-away-almost-130-155227829.html

 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 182,874 coronavirus vaccine doses have been wasted as of late March, with private pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens accounting for the bulk of the trashed shots.

 

According to data obtained by Kaiser Health News, CVS accounted for nearly half of the wasted vaccine doses, while Walgreens was responsible for 21 per cent of the waste.

[TimBKK]

5 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

There are no direct flights because it's too far.  There use to be 2, one to LAX and the other to NYC.  Neither were profitable, so they were stopped.

 

5 hours ago, hioctane said:

Thailand might be an ally, but they don’t do much business with the US. If they did, there would be direct flights between the two countries.

LOL at @hioctane…

 

Off topic but the real and actual reason there are no direct flights is because the FAA downgraded Thailand to a category 2 country in 2019 (only 14 , includes Ghana, Pakistan…good job Thailand!).  Thai Airlines is thus prohibited from flying into the U.S., by itself or through code share.  U.S. carriers could fly direct to Thailand but cannot code share, because of the category 2 designation - no way there is enough profit to justify a direct, non code share flight.   
 

Good category 2 info here: https://simpleflying.com/faa-category-2-meaning/

[Mavideol]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

It's BAHT. How can you have made over 7000 posts and not know what the currency of Thailand is called? Unbelievable.

wonder how can you have made over 7,500 post and still can not get sarcasm, it's unbelievable  555

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, Mavideol said:

wonder how can you have made over 7,500 post and still can not get sarcasm, it's unbelievable  555

Doesn't look like sarcasm to me... more an erroneous auto-correct by the phone!

[Caldera]

I didn't realize that Thailand was still in need of such handouts, unlike Cambodia and Laos. How embarrassing.

[RocketDog]

7 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

One interpretation, perhaps the US is using this to cozy up to Thailand and limit Thailand's closeness to China? 

That's the way the game is played. Every country in Asia will sooner or later have to pick sides. China is forcing the issue by its new-found aggression in SE Asia and the china sea.

 

Phillipines made the wrong choice a few years ago and is now paying the price. Now they are expecting help from America against the Chinese expropriation of their islands.

 

As an American I'm tiring of the schizophrenic attitude so many countries have with America.

[rbkk]

4 hours ago, dallen52 said:

China is already providing 100,000 shots for Chinese in Thailand.

 

Are you sure about that? 300,000 doses would be nearer the mark (2 doses each)

Edited June 3, 2021 by rbkk

[BusyB]

18 hours ago, sungod said:

Used to be arms, now the US and China are using vaccines to gain influence. It will be interesting to see how China react in regards to giving more vaccine too.  Thailand, they just play both sides.............

 

Well it's certainly an improvement for the US to try to outmaneuver a rival by actually saving lives rather than wiping them out.

[rbkk]

1 hour ago, MrJ2U said:

Anybody confused or sad by this should be aware that was China's demand.  500,000 Sinovac BUT 150,000 are for Chinese nationals only.  Anutin agreed as always taking away vital nurses to vaccinate Chinese Nationals.  Thailand did get 350000 almost useless Sinovac vaccines though with there 54% rate.

2  doses required for coverage = 300,000 doses for Chinese nationals.

Link from 2010 (Chinese Expats in Thailand) so probably far more by now: 

China

141,553

5.48%

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Thailand

[sambum]

20 hours ago, Mavideol said:

555 ....maybe one of the many reasons to keep the BATH over valuated, it makes it easy to buy foreign vaccines   555

 

How do you "overvaluate a bath"? Unless it's a gold plated one? ????

 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by sambum